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Club announce squad for Abu Dhabi T20 tournament

Andrew Gale wants Yorkshire to finish the season on a high with success in the inaugural six-team Abu Dhabi T20 competition next week.

The Yorkshire Vikings will travel to the Middle East to do battle alongside fellow domestic teams from Afghanistan, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa.

Gale’s men have been placed in Group A alongside Big Bash finalists Hobart Hurricanes and Pakistan Super League side Lahore Qalandars.

The three-day competition runs between Thursday October 4 and Saturday October 6.

A strong 14-man Yorkshire squad will be led by captain Steve Patterson.

In Group B, Auckland Aces, Boost Defenders and the Titans will do battle, with the winner of each group meeting in Saturday evening’s final.

All matches will be played at the Sheikh Zayed International Stadium, where Yorkshire played both of their MCC champion county games in early 2015 and 2016.

“It’s exciting for the players and the club,” said coach Gale.

“It puts our brand, Yorkshire CCC, right next to some of the biggest brands in cricket.

“It’s a big tournament for us, and we want to go out there and win.

“It’s right at the end of the season, which isn’t ideal given most of the other teams will be in their pre-season.

“There are some tired bodies around, but we’ll go out there to play some free cricket and look to entertain.

“That’s my message to the lads. We’re going to go out there and be really professional, but I want us to enjoy our cricket.

“There won’t be too much pressure for us, but we don’t just want to go and make the numbers up.”

Given all sides will be at different stages of their development, be it at the start or the end of their respective domestic seasons, it is difficult to assess which side will be favourites for the event.

“Some sides are taking a second team out,” added Gale. “But the Titans, for example, will have a strong squad from what I’ve seen.

“Hobart Hurricanes will be depleted because Tasmania are currently playing in their one-day competition.

“We’ll hopefully go out there and do ourselves justice.”

The event will be screened in the UK on Prime TV and FreeSports which is available on the following channels:
Freeview: 95
Sky: 422
Virgin Media: 553
Freesat: 252
TalkTalk TV: 95
BT: 95